Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Well, there's the whole garlic cheese roll debacle that has caused some to give up on their favorite garlic cheese grits casseroles all together, but it seems a lot of people simply favored the recipes found right off the backs of their favorite grits box! Who knew?

Beth shared her Mexican version of cheese grits, with jalapenos, hot sauce and pimentos, yum! Marcia offered suggestions such as substituting a bit of half and half for part of the water and using extra sharp cheddar for a flavor pop (thanks Marcia!), and several others even use sort of a queso combo - adding Velveeta cheese and Rotel tomatoes in the grits. For the record, while I kept this recipe here basic this time, y'all know, I am so going there with the queso cheese grits!

We Southerners love our grits, and we seem to be pretty fond of a grits casserole too, especially when you pair that up with some spicy breakfast sausage. Add in some fried or scrambled eggs and you've got a very nice eye-opener for those holiday guests. I know the pictures don't do the dish justice - I don't care how hard you try, there is just no way to make a pretty picture of a serving of a grits casserole. But... if you're like me, you already know you can't always judge a book by it's cover, and that's certainly the case with this delicious breakfast casserole.

Brown the sausage in a skillet until cooked; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, melt the butter and then saute the garlic a couple of minutes until softened.

Combine the water and half and half, and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the salt and grits, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times; remove from the heat. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and temper them by beating in a couple of tablespoons of the hot grits. Add the tempered eggs to the grits. Stir in the butter and garlic, scraping all of it from out of the skillet, and 1-1/2 cups of the cheese. Reserve the remaining cheese for later. Add the cooked sausage and hot sauce, and stir the grits until everything is blended in well.

Turn out into the prepared baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F, for about 50 minutes. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top, and return to the oven for 10 minutes longer, or until cheese is lightly browned.

Cook's Notes: Make a Mexican version of cheese grits, by adding jalapenos, hot sauce and pimentos, and go queso by using Velveeta cheese and adding Rotel tomatoes.

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And I live in Ohio.....it is and has been on my radar for years....once I lived in the South and got a taste....I always have some in my pantry....love them with a touch of garlic..I never turn grits down...no way....

Now that really does sound like a special holiday breakfast. I can't wait to try this recipe on Thanksgiving. Has any of you ever heard of Grits with tomatoes, if so how are they prepared? My daughter's boyfriend mentioned that they are really good, but dinn't know how they were prepared.

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You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients. ~Julia Child

The classic southern plate for supper is made up of meat and three, cornbread or rolls & a tall glass of sweet iced tea.

Oftentimes what makes a recipe southern, is as much a state of mind as it is a matter of geography - Southerners simply decide a particular food is southern, and that's that." ~Rick McDaniel, Food Historian

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